Roasted Beetroot Galette, a Review of Higgidy The Cookbook & Giveaway

Beetroot is like marmite, you either love it or hate it. Are you a beetroot lover or hater? We’ve got one of each in our household. This easy roasted beetroot galette taken from the new edition of Higgidy: The Cookbook is a bit of a miracle. It was so delicious even beetroot hating CT liked it. Read on for the recipe, a review and an opportunity to win a copy of the book. Hang on, make that two.

Beetroot

Beetroot is a veritable treasure trove when it comes to health benefits. It’s low in fat, full of vitamins and minerals and packed with antioxidants. They are a particularly good source of folic acid, fibre, vitamin C, manganese, potassium and glutamine. the Romans were very keen on beetroot. They viewed them as an aphrodisiac, apparently. So the Higgidy suggestion, is to make this roasted beetroot galette as a Valentine’s supper starter.

Higgidy: The Cookbook

I’m a big of a fan of Higgidy pies, so I was delighted to be sent a copy of their new edition cookbook to review. Higgidy is a pie company based in Shoreham-by-Sea and it specialises in hearty family comfort food. Camilla Stephens, the author of Higgidy: The Cookbook and founder of Higgidy is very adamant that the recipes in the book reflect the company’s ethos. No fancy stuff, no low carb, no fat-free, “this book is about feel good family food: recipes that warm the heart and feed the soul“. It all sounds good to me. Don’t get me wrong, as a vegetarian wholefood blogger, healthy food is very important to me, but there’s always a place for a good pie.

This updated edition includes fourteen new recipes to reflect the rising popularity of gluten-free baking and vegetarian eating. Spinach, paneer and spiced chickpea pie caught my eye as did a gluten-free quiche base made out of sweet potato. Actually, it’s the one you can see on the cover below. There are one hundred recipes in all with chapters covering Simple Suppers, Party Pies, Crafty Quiches & Trusty Tarts, Sweet Treats and Easy Extras.

Image courtesy of Octopus Books.

The book is a little heavy on meat and fish pies, but there are a few vegetarian ones to choose from and many of the former could easily be adapted. Unadorned vegetarian delights include: spicy tomato and lentil layer pie, giant garlicky mushroom galette and courgetti and ricotta cheesecakes with pink peppercorns that come in the form of tarts. I almost can’t wait for spring so that I can try the lemony asparagus and ricotta tart which sounds fresh and delightful. I do love autumn though, so I won’t wish it away.

Pastry

Some recipes use ready-made pastry such as filo and puff and others are made from pastry recipes in the book. I guess it’s entirely up to the reader as to whether they go down the homemade path or ready-made one. As you can see from the roasted beetroot galette featured here, I have been known to buy pastry occasionally. Although I’m very happy with my wholemeal spelt flaky pastry as used in my rustic rhubarb galette, it’s nice to ring the changes from time to time and I’m rather taken with the quick soured cream pastry recipe in the book. There’s also a recipe for gluten-free shortcrust pastry made with potato flour and polenta which I’m keen to try.

The pastry section includes a few tips on making and handling pastry. These are really useful if you want to make your own, particularly if you’re a novice. Not everything in the book is pastry based, however. There are crumble toppings, mash toppings and some that are cooked in a parchment case and have no base or topping at all. Roasted risotto pumpkin pie is pretty much risotto baked in a pumpkin and it looks delicious.

Sweet Treats

When it comes to the sweet stuff, I’m almost overwhelmed by the recipes that ring my chimes: pear and whisky tart, rhubarb crumble tarts and honeyed nut and custard tart probably give you an inkling. Oh, but I must just mention the sticky ginger and apple tart tatin, the raspberry almond pithivier and the chocolate snowflake tart; they have my name written all over them.

What did I like?

I’m a pastry fan, so this book really appeals to me. It’s come at just the right time too. As the autumnal colours appear, the days shorten and the weather turns, I’m looking for comfort food. This book offers some of the best comfort food you can get. All I need now is a roaring fire, a comfy chair and a steaming mug of hot chocolate so I can settle down and absorb this cookbook in true comfort. The photography makes the food look appetising and nearly all of the recipes are illustrated. The recipes are well written and thorough with some additional tips along the way. It’s good for both experienced cooks and those who are new to it. I now have lots of ideas for future pie and tart making.

What do I think could be improved?

More vegetarian recipes, but then I would say that, wouldn’t I? Vegans in particular are poorly represented. This is a shame, when so many of us are trying to cut back a little on dairy. I do think a recipe for vegan pastry could have been included.

Book Details

Higgidy: The Cookbook – 100 recipes for pies and more / Camilla Stephens. Published by Mitchell Beazley, October 2018. Hbk. 978-1-78472493, £20.

Roasted Beetroot Galette

This roasted beetroot galette is very similar to the honeyed fig and goat’s cheese tart I updated recently. It’s a puff pastry tart with a layer of cream cheese mixed with horseradish, followed by slices of beetroot which are scattered with thyme leaves and then brushed with a honey glaze. If you do it my way, it’s also incredibly quick to make. I could only get hold of purple beetroot, which was a bit annoying as I had a gorgeous bunch of golden beets delivered in my veg box a couple of weeks ago. They ended up being pickled in a similar way to these carrot pickles.

The long and short of it was, that I went for a cheat’s version. I bought cooked beets, ready rolled puff pastry and ready made horseradish sauce. So all I had to do really was assemble the components. The book’s recipe is a bit more complicated as it first requires cooking a golden beetroot and a French candy beetroot, although the purple beets can be ready cooked. The most difficult thing was slicing the beetroot. It’s virtually impossible not to get stained fingers doing this.

As per the recipe, I used mascarpone – yum! I mixed it with some hot horseradish cream and spread it over the pastry base. It was then just a case of laying the beetroot slices over the top, scattering over some thyme and drizzling it all with a little olive oil. Into the oven it went and out it came thirty minutes later. Roasted beetroot galette is just perfect for when you need something delicious in a hurry.

My tart may not have looked as colourful as the Higgidy one with its pretty and varied beets, but oh my, it sure tasted good. We scoffed the whole thing between us for supper, which wasn’t how it was meant to be. But the pastry was crisp and buttery, the mascarpone creamy and the beets sweet with a note of thyme and a persistent, but not too powerful heat from the horseradish. It would have been a shame not to eat it at its best. We had it with some stir-fried cabbage, but it would make a perfect lunch for four served with a green salad or a starter for six at your next dinner party.

Roasted Beetroot Galette – The Recipe

A beautiful tart made with a little hot horseradish spread on a buttery puff pastry and topped with a layer of multi-coloured beets.

Course: Lunch, Starter

Cuisine: British

Keywords: beetroot, horseradish, mascarpone, pastry, tart

Servings: 6people

Author: Choclette @ Tin and Thyme

Ingredients

1uncooked French golden beetroot - scrubbed clean

1uncooked French candy beetroot - scrubbed clean

2cooked purple beetrootsI used 4 cooked beets only

30gbutter

a little plain flour - for dusting

250gall-butter puff pastryI used 230g ready rolled

125gmascarpone

hot horseradish cream

a little olive oil - for brushing

a few fresh thyme leaves

1tbsprunny honey - warmed

salt and freshly ground pepper

Instructions

Start by slicing each beetroot as thinly as you can, 2-3 mm thick. Melt the butter in a large frying pan over a low heat and add the uncooked beet slices.

Cut out a circle of non-stick baking paper, roughy the same size as the pan. Scrunch it up, then spread it out again into a crinkled circle (this help trap steam to aid the cooking process). Lay it over the beetroot and allow to steam for 8 minutes or until just soft. Set aside to cool slightly.

Preheat the oven to 200℃, fan 180℃, gas mark 6. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured work surface and roll into a rectangle of roughly 20cm x 30cm and 3 mm thick. Transfer to a baking sheet and score a 2 cm border around the edge using a sharp knife, making sure you don't cut right through the pastry.

Place the mascarpone in a small bowl and stir to loosen it. Mix in the horseradish and season with a little salt and pepper. Spread over the pastry, taking care not to go over the scored border. Top with a mixture of the beetroot slices. Brush each slice with olive oil, sprinkle over the thyme leaves and bake for 30 minutes.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly, then brush with honey just before serving.

Recipe Notes

Recipe and image reproduced from Higgidy: The Cookbook by Camilla Stephens. With permission from Octopus Books.

Linkies

I’m sharing this roasted beetroot tart with Flipped-Out Food for #CookBlogShare and Only Crumbs Remain for #BakingCrumbs.

Keep in Touch

If you make this roasted beetroot galette, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below or via social media. A photo is always good too. If you’d like even more pastry ideas, do take a look at my Tasty Tarts & Pastry Pies board on Pinterest. For more delicious and nutritious recipes, follow me on Twitter, Facebook,Instagram or Pinterest.

Roasted Beetroot Galette. PIN IT.

Higgidy: The Cookbook Giveaway

Octopus Books is offering two Tin and Thyme readers a copy of Higgidy: The Cookbook. To be in with a chance of winning, please fill in the Gleam widget below. You will need to leave a comment on this post, answering the question, which then gives you additional chances to enter if you so wish. Gleam will pick a winner at random from the entries received. If you are commenting anonymously, please give me some way of identifying you as I will be verifying the validity of entries. Any automated entries will be disqualified. This giveaway is only open to those with a UK postal address. Winners will need to respond within 5 days of being contacted. Failure to do this may result in another winner being picked. Leaving your details gives permission for them to be passed on to Octopus books should you be a winner in this giveaway.

Prizes are offered and provided by Octopus Books and Tin and Thyme accepts no responsibility for the acts or defaults of said third party. Tin and Thyme reserves the right to cancel or amend the giveaway and these terms and conditions without notice.

claire Thorpe

I have to admit that I fall into the “beetroot hater” category: they’ve always tasted a bit like mud to me. But they ARE gorgeous, and I AM cognizant of their huge health benefits, so I do eat beetroots in recipes with strong flavors. This galette is right up my alley: the horseradish and thyme are the perfect foil for the beetroot, and the creaminess of the mascarpone—AH! Thanks for bringing this to #CookBlogShare!

I’d love to be able to make proper puff pastry from scratch – I think I’ve mastered every other type. I did try it once but it was, erm, rather trickier than opening a packet! However my favourite brand of all-butter puff pastry seems to have gone downhill a lot recently, it doesn’t perform as well as it used to, so perhaps it’s time I tried. I love this recipe – I love beetroot but unfortunately it doesn’t love me, and tends to upset my tummy, but this would be a way of getting that lovely beetroot flavour without eating too much at a time.

Oh no Jane. I’m sorry to hear beetroot doesn’t agree with you. As for puff pastry, I love the idea of homemade, but I just don’t have the patience. I look forward to seeing your second attempt though 😀

Cat Holdcroft

19th October 2018 at 8:39 pm

Love there food, just finished eating a leek and feta frittata of theirs .. really interested in reading this book and having a go at the above recipe, in my head to do this, have everything on the list already in the fridge. Tomorrow lunch seems to have been planned for me. .

Definitely a beetroot lover here and thankfully the rest of the family are too including kiddos. Such a lovely and uncomplicated tart and I think I prefer your quicker take on it with the ready cooked beetroot. Such a quick midweek dinner or lunch, all you need on the side is a bit of salad! Thank you for sharing this lovely tart with #BakingCrumbs 🙂 PS. I would love to make my own puff or flaky pastry one of these days and make almond croissants using it! 🙂

Oh you’re lucky to have a beetroot loving household – definitely makes things a bit easier. It’s a great tart for getting a quick meal on the table and a salad goes with it perfectly. I did make croissants many years ago, they were good, but it was so fiddly, I’ve never repeated the process.

Megan Williams

Mmmmm yum! This is definitely the sort of savoury bake I’d love to sink my teeth into Choclette – I love beetroot – but like your household my hubby doesn’t share that love 🙁 so I rarely get to try beetroot bakes (that is unless I hide it into something like a chocolate cake lol 😉 ) . Thankyou for continuing to share with #BakingCrumbs, Angela xx

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Hello, I’m Choclette. I’m a vegetarian whole food recipe developer. I have a sweet tooth and a passion for baking and chocolate. Welcome to my award winning blog. Here you will find nourishing home cooked food with a twist as well as wholesome foodie tales.